January 2004
Bureaucracy, Finance, Politics And so the search for the funds required to rebuild the city begins, although it is certain that the majority of the aid will come from the National coffers. Whilst it is understood that a percentage of the costs will be recouped from the eventual sale of GAOM and its subsidiaries (the company having been forced into receivership for its involvement in illegal activities) it is unlikely that these funds will be available immediately. More likely is that the funds will be loaned to the city by a major bank that will then take possession of the debt owed and the interest to be gained. The bigger problem however is the need for immediate funds, something that short term loans will be unable to cover. Bureaucracy, Finance, Industry, Legal, Media, Politics With so many members of the council now under questioning by The Constabulary for any alleged involvement in the events of December and links to GAOM and Castelan, the role of local government is now proving somewhat strained. The major problem lies in the fact that the last time that such a large scale disaster occurred within the city, the majority of the financing came from a single company, GAOM. It is unlikely that given the current mood of the city that this would be allowed, although it is understood that a number of companies have donated funds towards rebuilding. Meanwhile the council continues to tread carefully where the possibility of accusations of impropriety is involved. High Society, Industry, Media Whilst the initial focus of the rebuilding will focus on the Kidsgrove area (where an estimated seventy percent of buildings received some form of damage) one future problem surrounds the fate of the (former) GAOM tower. It appears the blast that resulted in the death of over one hundred people was designed to structurally collapse the building. It would also appear that the design of the building had not been taken fully into account during the deployment of the explosives planted to this. Investigations by independent structural engineers have concluded that the building will now have to be demolished as the damage is too great to allow for rebuilding. Whilst temporary works have been undertaken to ensure that the building is safe to remain in place for the immediate future it seems likely that the six towers will soon become five. Bureaucracy, Politics, Transport Emergency management teams are thankful that little of the city’s transport infrastructure was destroyed in the events of December, as this has allowed them to move much needed equipment into the city with little impediment. Whilst it is quite likely that long term delays will be experienced in some areas has buildings and structures damaged in the events are removed, no road closures are actually planned. Elsewhere the focus has been on providing accommodation for those families displaced (primarily in the fighting between Castelan Officers and what are now understood to be government agents) in Kidsgrove. With the upcoming cold weather the focus as been on providing cheap reliable housing whilst the existing infrastructure is rebuilt. Health, Police, University Whilst the events of December are now subject to numerous investigations by both state and local bodies, one aspect that continues to puzzle are the number of deaths attributable to the blast that almost destroyed the GAOM tower. In all, some three hundred bodies were found at the scene, although less than a sixth of these lay within the actual blast area. Further examination has shown that many of these bodies showed signs of decay more usually found in those of two or three months dead, rather than a few days, although no logical explanation for this can be found. One possible solution is that the bodies were transported in earlier (remember the request for all of those refrigerated vehicles?) as a means of upping the supposed body count of the explosion. Media, Police So what was the final death toll as a result of Castelans actions in December? Whilst there is now some questioning of the three hundred found at the site of the blast centred on the GAOM tower, the two hundred or so Castelan Officers (of whom other three quarters were as a result of the intervention of unknown government agents in the area) have been confirmed, along with some seven hundred civilian casualties. The majority of these are the result of direct involvement of Castelan Officers sent to neutralise them (although no correlation between these parties has yet been found). In most cases entire families had been killed, resulting in a lack of witnesses. Detectives from The Constabulary continue to search for clues that may lead to a possible conviction. Health, Legal, Media, Police There is key question that no one seems to have satisfactorily answered, is Andrew Sant mad? Early indications by both The Constabulary and government psychologists show that Sant was in full control of his faculties during the events of December and remains so now. However this creates further questions, the principal one being why he thought he could get away with it? Whilst it remains clear that there was an underlying scheme to the events that have not yet become apparent, it must have also been realised that there was simply no hope of maintaining the charade for any length of time. No matter what the reason, the clarity of Sant’s response to questioning is proving more and more disturbing with each passing day. Bureaucracy, Legal, Politics So what are the charges likely to be against Andrew Sant? Whilst initially it was thought that the prosecution would focus upon a charge of treason, the likelihood of showing that he was actually acting against the state is remote (especially given that he has stated that the entire justification was the possibility of the eradication of a terrorist threat within a British city). Far more likely is that he will be charged with genocide for his involvement in the death of over a thousand people, although again this may be revised as there is no proof that he ordered each individual killing. In the end it is likely that the only confirmable charge is one of attempting to pervert the course of justice, although this that charge alone will satisfy the public. Bureaucracy, Politics How much longer are we likely to have the Armed Forces on the streets of the city? Whilst their eventual involvement has now been shown to be necessary, little of the initial clean-up operation remains. In all only thirty-four Castelan Officers remain at large, although they are all high ranking members of the force. The likelihood that they remain in the city is remote and it is most likely that they are in fact now in a different country without an extradition treaty. Meanwhile British Troops continue to patrol the streets. Media, Police The hunt continues for The Samurai. Despite a joint search being undertaken by members of the Armed Forces and The Constabulary the individual remains at large. The Constabulary have now confirmed that they are in possession of the murder weapon (a Mannlicher-Carcano rifle as suspected) and are checking finger prints found on the weapon against those held on the national database (the finger prints were also checked against Andrew Sant after initial thoughts that he may have been involved). So far no matches in the correct age group have been found, so police are delving into earlier records. The authorities hope to make an arrest before the end of the month. Occult, Politics So what were government agents doing in the city prior to the events of December? And from which agency were they? One explanation is that the government got wind of the possibility of Castelan’s plan and sent operatives in to review the situation. Following the outbreak of hostilities they began to counter attack Castelan Officers to gain a foothold in the city. The only problem with this explanation is that subsequent government enquiries have shown that there was no military or civilian intelligence pointing to this possibility, and that subsequently British Troops were deployed without the correct authority in place. Finance, Industry, Legal, Media, Police, Politics Whilst the future of GAOM and Castelan is now assured (the company is in receivership and monies regained will be used to fund the rebuilding of the city), the fate of Castelan Officers remains less sure. The principal problem remains one that whilst they were acting under orders, as Officers of the Law they have a responsibility to ensure that their actions are not illegal in any court of law. The most likely outcome is that individual officers will be charged only if they have committed a major crime (authorities are asking for witnesses to come forward and report any crimes committed by Castelan Officers for further investigation) whilst others will be released but kept under observation. Meanwhile lawyers from the UN are to come to the city to investigate possible breaches of human rights during the events of December. Media, Occult, Police Whilst more and more details begin to emerge regarding Castelan’s plan, investigations still indicate that the death of Sean Bowden was as a result of the involvement of The Samurai. Whilst it was initially thought that the figure may merely have been another part of Sant’s machinations, investigations by government agencies have shown that his actions were not in fact part of the conspiracy and merely were serendipitous to the planned action. A county wide manhunt remains in place to attempt to apprehend the suspect about which little is known apart from the almost constantly shown photo-fit of the individual recovered from destroyed Castelan records. Legal, Police, University The majority of Castelan’s records were destroyed in what appears to be a deliberate act of sabotage during the early hours of the 7th December 2003. Initial indications point to the records being destroyed in an attempt to limit the amount that could be used against them should the coup d’tat fail. Whilst it is assumed that the information was backed up elsewhere (it is also assumed given the complexity of the operation that GAOM was a subsidiary of a larger unknown company), this location is unlikely to be found. In addition, scientists from GCHQ have been unable to recover any of the data in a usable form, leading to a six year blank period in the cities crime records. Church, Media Local churches have begun to raise funds to rebuild a number of mosques that were burned by rioters shortly after the explosion in the centre of Hanley. It is believed that rioters originally thought that the terrorist attack was the work of fundamental Muslims in the area. The church has been quick to condemn the attacks and has asked for investigations to occur into them, although the authorities are keen to point out that they may not have the manpower for such an investigation at present. Health, Industry, Police, University Students are being asked not to return to the city’s universities, as the dormitories is still being used as temporary accommodation by those displaced by the events of December. Meanwhile specialists from the city’s medical research labs have been bought in to deal with possible contagions found on Castelan’s former premises (in addition to the legion of IT staff required in order to try and recover files) after the first troops to the scene were struck down with Cholera. No explanation as yet been found as to why GAOM had such high level biological weapons (they did not actually have a license to store such weapons) although some are now speculating that they may have been deployed at a later stage in the event in order to maintain a pretence of terrorist attacks. Street, Underworld Whilst the number of weapons within the city has increased dramatically (it tends to be a side effect of over fifteen hundred troops turning up) it has proved more difficult than ever to get hold of illegal firearms over the last month. One reason seems to be that the major players are reluctant to bring in such items whilst much of the national attention is focussed upon the area. Another factor is the manner in which armed criminals are being dealt with by the Armed Forces. Media, Underworld With everyone’s attention focussed on rebuilding the city, some have begun to worry that additional gangs will attempt to move into the area and gain a foot hold. However, the both Sandernacht and the Daughters of the Desert seem to be operating an unofficial policing policy and gang related crime has actually dropped in the month since. Whilst there has been a rise in crime over the last month (attributable to the need to free space in local prisons for former Castelan Officers) this as mainly be limited to minor thefts. Indeed, even major criminal activities such as the Endon Butcher seem to have gone quiet (although some cynics have speculated that he to may have been a political construct of Sant and Castelan). Occult, Street The return of the Gambino’s seems to have ruffled more than a few feathers, although not amongst the Daughters of the Desert of the Sandernacht Group. Indeed, both seem to be remarkably quiet about the entire situation and have shown little surprise. More astonishing is the amount of respect that is being afforded to each party by the other two, with none of the feared gang violence that some thought would result. Health, Industry, University The local health authority continues to ask for blood donors in order to deal with those injured in the events of December. In addition, complications are being experienced due to injuries sustained by emergency workers clearing away the debris. These problems are mainly confined to former GAOM sights, most of which seem to have been destroyed in massive internal explosions (which some have attributed to targeted strikes by space platforms, a rumour quickly scotched by the government) that have fused most of the structures together. Additionally problems are being caused by Castelan equipment, most of which would appear to contain self destruct mechanisms if any attempt is made to activate them by none Castelan personnel. Church, Health, High Society Local hospitals are stocking up on flu vaccines for the forthcoming months, as it is feared that the poor services currently being experienced in much of the city may lead to massive levels of the infection. Additional provision is being made for an increase in levels of pneumonia due to the lack of heating in some quarters of the worst affected areas. Additional funding for both of these projects is being sought from elsewhere.